TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
And forgive us our debts. Matthew 6:12a
Read: Matthew 6:9-13
Listen: Matthew 6
TODAY’S MESSAGE
One of the themes of the Bible is God’s perfection and our inability to live up to our created potential. Jesus helps us recognize God’s perfection when he tells us to pray that God’s name would be hallowed. Jesus also helps us respond to our inability to live up to our created potential when we ask God to forgive our sins. At the beginning of the Bible, we see that God created people for a relationship with him. Starting with Adam, people rebelled and ever since have chosen to go their own way.
It’s hard to admit we need forgiveness. We often don’t live up to our own standards—let alone God’s. We can’t make up for the times we’ve messed up or the people we’ve hurt as hard as we try on our own. Jesus knows this, and when he gives us a model prayer, he includes a section reminding us to ask God to forgive us for these things. And it’s not just the big things we need to ask for forgiveness. We mess up in small ways too. We’ve wounded people with our icy tongue, hurt people with our silence, not done something when we should or grown envious when someone got something we desperately wanted. These things actually matter both to the people around us and to God. They are acts of rebellion against how God created us
IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY
As you pray through Jesus’s model prayer today, honestly admit that you need forgiveness when you get to that section. Tell God that you mess up. Think through how you’ve hurt people in the last few days either through your actions, inactions or words. Think about the way you’ve thought about people. Ask God to forgive you for those things, and thank God for forgiving you. Watch this video clip as the Ada Bible Worship Team sings “Broken Vessels” from the weekend service. Thank Jesus for his amazing grace that offers forgiveness.
40 DAYS OF PRAYER
Join us for 40 DAYS OF PRAYER where all of us will find a quiet space and slowly read The Lord’s Prayer. May forty days of praying like Jesus prayed, and desiring what Jesus wanted, make a big difference in our hearts and our communities.
THE LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For yours is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
forever. Amen.
NEW TESTAMENT READING PLAN
Join us this year as we read through the New Testament.
Today’s reading is Acts 5.
Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.
